Learning From Mistakes
by Kaiyou
Summary: A zafara has mixed feelings about his owner. She and him...they lost their bonding. Can Rylee learn from mistakes to stay with his owner?


Learning from Mistakes  
by Kaiyou (sakuko by username)  
  
  
Wind rushed through my russet colored hair, and I stood in the middle of a slippery and cold ice arena. My Zafara paw glowed as I called a power within, water energy rushing through my body. It surged with power, as a large beam of water fled my body. Without the strength to control it, it blew across the arena and completely demolished a slab of ice, exposing the water underneath. The opponent waited for his owner's instructions. In a moment, he pulled out a Sword of Domar, and instantly he lunged towards me, taking a false swipe. Alarmed, I leapt over his head, and felt the sharp blade of his piercing sword scratch my underbelly. It left a thin red strip of blood where the blade's tip had been. My spine cracked, I felt the weight of my challenger's body upon me,   
  
"Get o-off!" I said, trying to sound as fierce as possible. My legs shook violently, as I willed every bit of strength into my back, legs, and mind. Finally I got the Lupe off me, and I ran back to the other side of the Arena to hear my owner's orders. I breathed hard, and quickly, my heart pounding in my chest. I saw my breath in front of me, and the wind sent another playful pull at my fur. But noting about this moment was playful to me. Everything was all or nothing, nothing in between. I waited in silence as my owner decided our next strategy.   
  
"Code=B!" she shouted, nodding in my direction. I retrieved a shiny new staff, which gleamed when I held it: Nova Staff. The other pet's foolish smirk faded, as I wielded it towards him with the magical strength flying from the tip. The blast made the Lupe go flying on impact, and a deep gash had gone into the challenger's left side. Blood quickly flooded the wound, but the Lupe...he hadn't stayed conches. I tear streamed down my owner's cheek, as she walked slowly to my side. She hadn't known my new weapon would do that much damage. I watched with anticipation as the male owner -of the Lupe- strode over to its motionless body, picking it up, and disappearing into the shadows. I turned to my owner, and leapt into her arms. She embraced me, and wept into my fur. "I hadn't meant to take it this far..." she began.   
  
"I know, Celeste. It wasn't your fault," I replied, rubbing her chin. She looked up into my eyes, and then onto the arena. Already, a chubby little chia cleaned up the mess we had made. It shook its head in dismay, as if to say, 'Shame, shame,' and with that, my owner turned and went away. As walked on the sidewalk, she held me in her arms and spoke to me calmly, as she had thought over her emotions.   
  
"If you had been a little more cautious, you may not have had to use the staff." She sighed, looking into my eyes. "But I know you've been in too many battles-"   
  
"It was my fault. I'll try and do better," I quickly said, cutting her off. She gave an alarmed look,   
  
"Rylee..." she started, but then abruptly paused, as if thinking of something that she didn't want to reveal to me. I didn't answer, and it was silent until we got home.   
  
* * *  
  
The teapot bubbled on the hot stove as I warmed myself by the fire. I lye there, licking my fur to rid it of the smell of blood and sweat. My throat wanted to refuse the taste but I didn't want to be disgusting when I went to train. My owner didn't know it, but I wouldn't want to disappoint her when the next battle rolled around. I knew we had a pile of codestones lying around somewhere. I would simply take them all, and do the grand master's course in speed. Just as my plan was beginning to form, the teakettle chimed, and I lost my train of thought. My owner got up, and poured the contents into her blue china set, and handed me a cup.   
  
"This will make you feel better, Rylee." She smiled. I accepted the cup, and took a small sip. When I had finished, I walked into the hallway and looked around, which room was my owners again... which one... it had to be somewhere. Without patient, I ran up and down the hallway, looking for my owner's bedroom. I had forgotten where it was, but I remembered the bed they put in, a large regal bed, made of oak wood. I passed 1 room... 2 rooms.... 3 rooms. Wait! There it was. The bed, in the center of the room. I hesitated, before stepping in onto the soft pink rug. I hopped up onto the bed and looked around. Her wardrobe was in the corner, so that was the first place I looked. It was filled with articles of clothing I had never seen before, and a box that stuck out like an old shoe. I pulled it closer to me, and examined the cover. It was just a $ symbol, but I knew it didn't hold money. I peeked inside the lid, and was excited to find a vast amount of codestones. I tipped the entire lid off, and took about 10 codestones from the contents. Without another moment's hesitation, I attempted to leave the room, but it impossible to carry them all at once.   
  
"Why didn't you ask?" I heard the sweet, yet firm voice of my owner. I looked up into her deep blue eyes, and shuddered.   
  
"I'm sorry. Will you please take me?" I asked calmly. My owner nodded. She gathered the codestones in the palm of her hand, and let them drop one by one into her pocket. Then she turned and motioned me to follow her. I did, without a moments hesitation.   
  
* * *   
  
The car leapt along the highway as we passed the book shop on our way to the docks. I watched the road, staring at the lines painted on the black surface. My owner looked at me with a worried face. She spoke with a slight crack in her voice,   
  
"Rylee...you're hasty decisions were quite alarming to me, while I watched you in the battledome. You didn't remember our plan of action-" I turned and nodded,   
  
"I-"   
  
"I wasn't finished! Today, when you tried to steal my codestones, it almost broke my heart. I was going to take you, sooner or later. Why aren't you obedient like other pets?" she sighed. My body tingled with cold. My owner continued to drive. 'Celeste...what did I do...no...what didn't I do?' I thought, shivering. I leaned my head against the window, and let three tears roll slowly down to the center of my nose, then fall to the seat.   
  
"My life is difficult enough without you begging for food, or toys, you're just like a baby! You cannot get anything for yourself." She continued. The car turned off. Celeste dressed me in her coat, scowling. I opened the door, shivering, I ran down the path and leapt into a boat. It didn't matter which one, just one. The old wocky regarded me as his only passenger, and paddled on across the endless sea.   
  
* * *   
  
Celeste was always series about battles. My very first day of life, she went on faerie quests for me. At that time, I had one sibling. Her name was Takara, and she was a courageous Gelert. Takara was always there for me; she helped me with reading, and playing some of the games that I can now beat in the blink of an eye. While Celeste was out I was usually visited by about 5 times, by faeries that blessed me with un-natural abilities. The battle dome, not even out at the time, was very important to her. I remember her taking me to the battle magic shop, the first day.   
  
The bell chimed as we entered the recently stocked battle magic shop. The floor was cold, and the air was damp. A cloaked gral reached up and shook my owner's hand.   
  
"Hello Celeste. We have recently gotten some new swords in the back room. I saved the finest for your inspection." He grinned, releasing her hand.   
  
"Ah, Spear. Thank you for your kindness." Celeste answered; she picked me up, my eyes bright with curiosity. "This is my new pet. The faeries have blessed him well." She said. Spear nodded, and opened the door to the back room. He disappeared inside, and came out with a large bundle in his arms. He then set three individual swords out, still wrapped in protective cloth. My owner moved quickly about, unwrapping each one, and running the tips of her fingers across the gleaming surface. When she felt the last one, she smiled,   
  
"This one is perfect." She said.   
  
"755?" Spear asked.   
  
"750."   
  
"Deal." He said, taking the neopoints from Celeste, and he handed her the sword. Right then she seemed so proud of me. Like she had never been so proud of herself. She handed it to me, and I slumped from its weight.   
  
Just when I was seeing a blurry island off in the distance, another memory darkened my mind.   
  
I heard a yelp from the room next to me, and rushed to the door. I peered around the corner to see a large figure: an intruder. The figure seemed to be having a wrestling match with a bag. I was frozen to my perch behind the door, staring through the crack.   
  
Later, in the morning, I was awoken by a wail. Tekara was gone...   
  
Feeling the boat flatten the sand, I looked up from my deep thoughts. We had landed on the island. Mystery Island.   
  
"Thanks." I mumbled, jumping out quickly. The green wocky watched me.   
  
"Any time!" He called after me.   
  
* * *   
  
The main room was so familiar to me. It smelt mainly of sweat, with a tiny linger of lemon air freshener. I walked over to the desk, where the Techo sat, reading the latest of The Neopian Times.   
  
"Ah, Rylee. You're current course is speed, am I right? Two Zei Codestones, and 2 Orn Codestones." He said, acknowledging me. I looked into my hand, now clutching the codestones. Then, I passed him the desired stones, and sat down next to a young Shoyru.   
  
"Rylee, is it?" he began, giving me a look.   
  
"Yes," I said, uncomfortably.   
  
"The name is Keton." He said. "I've heard about you, a red Zafara that brings the teacher to a joy whenever you're in his class."   
  
"I had no idea." I mumbled, barely caring what he heard about me.   
  
"What's your problem?" he asked, in a kid like manner.   
  
"Well-"   
  
"Defense class, up!" exclaimed the Techo.   
  
"I gotta go," Keton said, and he rushed out of his seat. I waited for a while. My grandmaster course wasn't for a while, so I just read a magazine.   
  
"Hello?" asked a girl's voice. I looked up into the face of a green zafara.   
  
"Hi," I replied. The green Zafara pounced into the empty seat next to me.   
  
"My name is Lily," she smiled. "Me any my owner go to the training school every day, so I can learn my self-defence."   
  
"I come here, just so I can get better at battling." I replied, setting down my magazine. "My name is Rylee."   
  
"Grand Master Speed class, up!" I got up, and to my surprise, Lily did too. In the classroom, she amazed me with her style, and grace. I hardly noticed that I was following her through the course, my mind focusing on the jumps, leaps, and quick spurts of energy she and I emitted. Beads of sweat poured down my face, but it seemed kind of refreshing. Techo Master allowed us drinks, as only 3 students had attended, leaving more time.   
  
When the class was over, Lily met her owner at the front desk.   
  
"Lily! Glad to see you, how was it?" the teenager asked. Lily put another one of her cheerful smiles on,   
  
"The best class I've ever had!" she exclaimed. I walked up behind her, and made it clear I wanted to be noticed. I jumped up, my claws extending just so, pinching her.   
  
"Ouch! Oh, who are you?"   
  
"His name is Rylee." Lily answered for me. The owner looked down and smiled warmly,   
  
"Where is your owner?"   
  
"Well, she's pretty steamed at me right now."   
  
"How so?" they both asked.   
  
"I don't know...I just did something I wasn't supposed to," I replied. But in my heart, I wasn't sure. I didn't know what I did wrong, or why my owner was fuming at me in the car drive.   
  
"Would you like to come to my house? I-"   
  
"Yes!" I answered. The owner nodded,   
  
"You may come if you're willing to battle,"   
  
"Huh?" I asked in astonishment.   
  
"Or watch." She replied, shrugging.   
  
"Yes, I'm in a tournament. I have a battle scheduled for this afternoon." Lily explained. I nodded.   
  
"Well, lets get going."   
  
* * *   
  
The ball flew through the air with great ease, as Lily jumped up and smacked it down to me on the opposite side of the net. It bounced once before going over the fence.   
  
"Lemonade!" called Lily's owner, Christen. Christen walked out of the house, with the plate in her hands. It had been three hours since I had left the training center. Luckily, Lily lived on the island. We both sipped on our yummy lemonade, concededly. Lily stirred at the taste of the chilly liquid.   
  
"Its cold!" she exclaimed. I nodded, but I hadn't even tasted it.   
  
"Why do you battle?" I asked. Lily dropped her cup to the ground in amazement.   
  
"Why do you ask such a question? Are you series?" I shrugged.   
  
"There really isn't a point."   
  
"No point!" she shrieked. She slapped me across the face.   
  
"Okay, I'm sorry Lily." I apologized, rubbing my red face.   
  
"That's fine, I guess," she replied, picking up her glass from dirty ground. "I'll need to get ready for the battle now." She turned to walk into the house, and I shook my head. 'Tsk tsk,' I thought wearily.   
  
* * *   
  
The mutant kacheek struck ferosiscly at Lily, who quickly dodged. The crowd gasped nervously, as Lily shifted her weight, getting ready for her next move. She literally flew when she jumped into the air; she pulled out something, and spun in the air. Flames surrounded her in a glittering inferno, and I recognized the sword: 1000-degree sword. Just then, Lily rammed into the kacheek. The fire stopped, and Lily was back to her sweet normal self, only panting and staring in a violent manner. The kacheek smirked, and backed up a bit. He pulled out a staff...but what kind of staff was it! I couldn't make it out from the many legs in front of me. I gasped and darted out from the crowd, and onto the arena. Just as the blast was about to hit Lily, I dove in front of it, and it hit me full force...a few cries came from the crowd. Lily stepped over, dumbfounded. She stared down at my lifeless body, and snuggled into my cheek. I was almost about to pass out when I heard someone in say my name.   
  
"Rylee!" in moments, I felt my body being lifted. I saw three Celeste's, staring into my eyes. "I'm so sorry..." she said, embracing me. "You're so brave..." Then, all was black.   
  
* * *   
  
I saw a shirt on the railing, it was dampened in blood. The fire crackled, and I saw Lily lying next to me, sleeping. I sighed. My owner cared for me.   
  
  
  



End file.
